Background
Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III takes place in 1788/9 during King George III’s second bout of madness. The play deals not only with the political paralysis it engendered, the nature of kingliness and the relationship between the crown and parliament; but also the personal tragedy of a likeable if irascible man who finds himself on the brink of insanity.
Anyone who has read the play will be struck by the wit and humour of the piece and the fact that Bennett pulls off that almost impossible trick of creating a language simultaneously eighteenth century in sound but without alienating our modern ears: the cut and thrust of eighteenth century debate and the witticisms of the King are all preserved. In addition the play is highly visual - a number of short scenes cross cut with the rapidity of film and with some acutely observed contrasts, eg. the Prince of Wales struggling to be laced into his corset contrasted with the King being tied into his ‘strait waistcoat’ (an early form of strait jacket). The crossover is achieved by use of an upstage as well as a downstage curtain behind which scenes can be set up.
The cast of characters reflects the male dominated society of the times.
